We first saw him on Vasantham Star 2005. He mesmerised many hearts with his show-stopping stage presence and performances. Week after week, fans enthusiastically supported him till he bowled home the top prize. Shabir came across to many as the most well-dressed good looking talent on the competition who walked away as the winner of Vasantham Star'05.

After his Vasantham Star win, Shabir has relentlessly contributed to the local music scene. Shabir has taken part and sung the official National Day Parade theme songs for 2 consecutive years. Apart from performing, Shabir has been involved in research works relating to the music culture. In Jul 2008 he initiated a research on Tamil Rap and Tamil Hip Hop for NUS. He was a guest speaker in the seminar which saw a turnout of 500.This young talent is also an official member of the Composers & Authors Society of Singapore. He has worked on several key projects in the industry. You can check all his notable achievements on his website. It is indeed heartening to know that this passionate young man has achieved so much in such a short span of time.

Shabir’s Debut Album, “Alaipayuthey” released in April 2006 remains one of the top selling Tamil Pop Albums ever. Today Shabir's back with his 2nd debut album titled, "TraffiQ". TraffiQ contains a combination of English and Tamil songs written, composed and produced by Shabir. Produced by record label company, ‘High Breed’, "TraffiQ" features song collaborations with well-known, locally established artistes such as rapper Mark Bonafide, Ebi Shankara (Vasantham Star '07), Nurul Maideen & Matilda De Silva (former Singapore Idol contestants). Very recently, TraffiQ has been released for sale in Malaysia. Some of these tracks are also playing on THR Ragaa Radio in Malaysia.

SI crew met up with Shabir, over coffee at The Coffee Connesoir recently. Despite a busy schedule ahead of him, Shabir welcomed us with his pleasant smile and charismatic personality. Shabir is one who is spiritual and he believes that you can conquer the world if one is humble and works hard in achieving his dreams.

It was absolutely refreshing to experience his refined yet engaging demeanor as he started speaking whilst sipping on his coffee..

SI: So Shabir, how have you been?

Shabir: I have been good, thank you. I have just been a little busy lately with recordings. Other than that, I'm blessed.

SI: Our sincere congratulations on your 2nd album release. What's the inspiration behind the title "TraffiQ"?

Shabir: (smiles) When I think of the word TraffiQ, I remember the City. I'm a city poet, Nagarakavi. That's my inspiration. So my music is very much in touch with today’s living. The word Traffic invokes many different emotions and thoughts in people. For example when Traffic leads into a junction, it feels like one is in the crossroads of his life. Traffic can be frustrating when you experience a jam. Traffic can mean the fusion of different elements of music coming together to display these various emotions.

SI: Tell us more about what you do in the music scene?

Shabir: I play the Synthesizer and Keyboards. Beyond that I also engage in songwriting (poetry), compose, produce and engineer my music. I'm a Music Production & Audio Engineering graduate, so what I do is multi-faceted. I produce jingles for TV and for numerous other productions.

SI: What genre of music can listeners look out for?

Shabir: Urban Cross-over, hip hop with soul and a touch of R&B. When I produce music, I don't really produce it according to what the masses want. I invest my time in nurturing my brand of music and I believe its merits will be appreciated by people who have similar tastes. If you are into folk and dappank-kothu, TraffiQ is definitely not your cup of tea.

SI: Do you think winning Vasantham Star'05 has helped you reach this platform?

Shabir: Yes, winning Vasantham Star has definitely been a huge advantage for me in getting my albums out in the market. I would have still gone ahead with my album releases and contributions in the music scenes but it would have been much harder trying to achieve the sales and support, if you are an unknown to the media.

SI: Do you do music full-time?

Shabir: Besides singing and mixing, I teach digital music in various schools. As a trainer myself, I come across many young budding talents. It's good to know that at least now, the music scene is opening up and therefore the younger generation is starting to appreciate the various genres of music.

SI: Tell us more about your single "Dejavu"

Shabir: (hmm....) "Dejavu", as the saying goes, it all feels like it has happened before. I've been there and I've grown a lot from my past experiences. So taking a risk now is no longer a fear to me.